James Bond has just arrived at his new school. Eton doesn’t seem very friendly and the uniform is far too fancy for his liking.

Luckily, one student extends a hand of friendship and shows James where to find his room. Pritpal Nandra becomes a good friend at Eton as James gets into classes and outside activities, but at the same time, another student becomes an enemy. George Hellebore is a pompous bully at Eton and James realises why when he meets George’s wealthy father Lord Hellebore.

James settles into his new school, doing well at sports. In doing so, he clashes with George Hellebore once again. He’s pleased to escape his nemesis on his Easter Holidays and go to his uncle’s home in Scotland, however it’s not the quiet break James imagined it would be.

On the train to Scotland, he meets a boy named Red Kelly. He’s heading for the same small town, as his cousin Alfie has gone missing and Red’s going to help.

James is happy to be back with his Uncle and Aunt in their comfortable home by the river. But he’s dismayed at the news that the new neighbouring property has been taken over by none other than Lord Hellebore. When Red tells James that he’s heard Alfie went missing on Hellebore land, James vows to help.

But what they discover is something so terrible, they might never see either of their families ever again.

I absolutely gobbled up the novel version of Silverfin – Young Bond, so snapped up this graphic novel version.

The malice and menace of James’ nemesis is just as raw in illustration as he was in the original novel. The muted browns and greens of the illustration capture the time and the setting of the story perfectly, and the action scenes are alive on the page.

For anyone who thought the novel was too big to tackle, this full-colour graphic novel version is perfect. So good in fact, that it just might convince readers to give the second novel in the series a try.

The portrayal of a young James Bond is spot on. Quiet. Strong. Loyal. Brave. Perfect for a future spy.

Author – Charlie Higson

Illustrator – Kev Walker

Age – 10+

Graphic Novel

(2008, Penguin, Graphic Novel, Series, Action, Adventure, Family, Grief, Courage, Bully, Friendship, Mystery, Castle, Scotland, Historical, Eton, Conflict, Horror, Secret, Science)